Assembly Bill (AB) 172 would put into law the provisions of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Orders of 2009, S-08-09 and S-20-09, which created the state’s reporting transparency website, www.transparency.ca.gov. The bill has passed both houses of the Legislature and currently awaits approval by Governor Brown.
The bill’s author, Assembly Member Mike Eng (D–Monterey Park), says the legislation is needed to ensure Californians are able to hold government officials accountable for how tax dollars are spent.
The website www.transparency.ca.gov was first established in 2009 when Governor Schwarzenegger issued a memorandum to all governor’s staff, agency secretaries, and department directors requiring them to publish their Statement of Economic Interest reports and Travel Expense Claims. Governor Schwarzenegger subsequently issued executive orders requiring external and internal audits. The site currently also posts state contracts valued at more than $5,000, along with salary and pension information for government employees.
Bill AB 172 specifies that the Website shall continue operating only until the Financial Information System for California (FI$CAL) is operating and available for public use. The bill also says that the Department of General Services and the California Technology Agency shall continue to post every statement of economic interest for the governor’s senior staff and deputies, agency secretaries, undersecretaries, and department directors. Lastly, the legislation specifies that the information that is required to be posted shall be maintained for three years or the entire length of the contract.
